Catch the Horizon
by AhiFlame
Summary: Mild JA. Jack gets himself into trouble again, but this time it can't be helped. It is time. Revamped.


_Disclaimer: Not mine, I accept this even though I don't like it. :P_

_Author's Note: Alright, I went through this and tried to make it a bit more in-character, but the situation made it hard for me to figure out how to do that, so it's only ever so slightly different from the original. But hopefully it reads better. Lemme know, alright? Thanks._

**Catch the Horizon**

A drink precedes every story.

But in this case, more than one drink was necessary. Ana ran a hand down her face, ignoring the fact that she had long since broken her self-set limit of drink for one evening. Glumly, she dragged herself from the chair. To her chagrin, she found that her equilibrium was already affected and she was swaying on her feet. And she wasn't even on a ship.

The unreliability of her stance and inebriated self left the door open for memories to resurface. Memories that she longed to suppress, tainted as they were by the sting of death.

She threw herself back into the chair, clenched her jaw and reached for the bottle of rum with a shaking hand. Her hand froze midway as a familiar voice, made less familiar by the separation of time and space, drawled through her mind. _Eat well, drink in moderation, and sleep sound, in these three good health abounds._

Shaking her head violently, she convinced herself to obey the well-known saying. Instead of continuing to drown her sorrows she crossed her arms on the table and rested her head atop them. Slowly, ever so slowly, she allowed her eyes to drift shut.

The memories rose from the darkness to greet her.

_"And so mates, I say t' ye, 'a man should live if only," Jack paused a moment, moving his body to punctuate the last word, "to satisfy his curiosity'." Jack's statement carried across the room, reaching the plastered gathering of sailors and thieves, all intent on the Captain's speech. Jack's hands waved rhythmically through the air, illustrating his story as he finished._

_Ana shook her head and snorted lightly to herself. "Jack, yer crazy. It's gettin' late, so 'm leavin'."_

_Jack's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Oh come now luv, just stay a lil' longer. Ye won't be late fer anythin'." He swayed on his feet, inching closer as he did so until she could feel his rum-scented breath on her cheek. "Too important," he amended silkily._

_"I'll be late fer sleepin' and a little too late is much too late." Ana retorted before leaving the tavern hastily in an attempt to hide the blush that crept into her cheeks._

_"Would you like some company? I've nothing to do for the evening!" Jack's voice called after her. Stiffly she made her way down the street toward a nearby inn. The light patter of rain hastened her pace and she dashed into the inn as the light shower turned into a violent downpour._

- - - - -

_The next morning's rays of sun shone in the window, cascading over Ana's sleeping form. The golden light highlighted her tanned skin in an angelic manner contrary to her occupation._

_However, it was not the sun that woke her._

_It was the smell._

_Crinkling her nose in confusion as she tried to identify the scent, she groggily pushed herself up so the heels of her hands sunk into the mattress. She peered over her shoulder with sleep-hazed eyes and her gaze fell on a dark, violently shivering form curled tightly on the floor halfway between the door and the bed._

_"Jack!" She half slid, half fell out of bed and scrambled across the floor. Upon reaching her captain's fitfully slumbering form, she contemplated her options…but just for a moment._

_A loud smack resounded through the small room._

_Despite the force behind the blow, Jack's eyes only barely opened and he lethargically rubbed at his reddened cheek. "Don' think I deserved tha'…" he muttered quietly. Ana looked into the amber depths of his eyes and realized something was amiss._

_"Jack, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothin'," his eyes snapped shut in pain as his breathing quickened. He tried to turn his back on Ana, but she overpowered him and turned him to face her._

_It was then that she saw the blood._

- - - - -

Ana woke with a start, breathing quickly. She glanced about the room in a disoriented fashion and, not finding who she was looking for, she lowered her head back to her arms. Tears formed in her eyes as the memories continued despite her wishes against the very act.

- - - - -

_"Jack, what happened! Why didn't you wake me up when you got back?" Ana demanded, holding his shoulder tightly. She suppressed a shudder of her own at the feel of the cold, damp fabric of his vest._

_Jack smiled feebly up at her. "Didn' wanna wake ye. An' as fer what happened, let's jus' say tha' Fortune is a woman; if ye neglect her t'day do not expect t' regain 'er tomorrow."_

_"What?" Ana snapped. "Never mind. Tell me while I patch you up."_

_Ana set about collecting various items and then returned to Jack's side. He was now lying limply on his back with his eyes closed. His breathing was shallow but steady and he clutched his right arm tightly to his side._

_"Jack?"_

_One eye smudged over with kohl opened. "Aye luv?"_

_"Can you sit up?"_

_Jack's eye fell shut and he was silent for a moment. "Quite honestly, no." As he spoke his left hand twitched in his characteristic way but his right arm remained pressed firmly to his side._

_"Yer gonna have t' take yer arm away."_

_Jack shook his head flimsily. "Ribs."_

_Ana's eyebrow rose, indicating she understood. "Fine. You'll owe me an explanation later. I'll go get a doctor."_

_As she rose, Jack caught her wrist with his free hand and pulled her back down. She was sure the effort put a strain on his injured ribs, so she complied. "What?"_

_"No doctor."_

_"Yes, I will get a doctor Jack. I know you hate it, but this time it's necessary."_

_Jack shook his head. "Better no doctor at all than three."_

_"And what's tha' supposed t' mean?"_

_"Sorry luv, but I can' let yah. Both yer friend an' yer enemy think you'll ne'er die."_

_A red flag went up in Ana's mind. Jack never spoke so sullenly and, aside from his injuries, there was nothing that could provoke such words. She blamed the fevered light in his eyes for the pirate's crazy language._

_"Ana, please,"_

_Ana locked her eyes on his at the desperate tone in his voice and was unable to look away from then on. Those chocolaty depths reflected such pain, sorrow, and…love?_

_"Take care o' th' _Pearl_ fer me. She's a good ship. Last ship, best ship. Keep 'er tha' way."_

_"Jack, what're ye talkin' about?"_

_"Death always comes too early or too late. But it's time, I know it…an' I accept it."_

_"Time fer wha—no, Jack, no." Horror at the realization burned brightly in Ana's eyes and her saddened expression pleaded with him to fight it._

_"Sorry luv, but Fortune 'as made 'er deal. My time's done."_

- - - - -

"Death closes all doors," Ana whispered to herself, the proverb ringing truer than ever to her as a tear snaked its way down her face.

_An' it is an ill wind tha' blows no good, eh?_

Ana jumped at the sudden presence of the second voice and wheeled to face it. Her features softened and the tears fell freely when she saw who it was. She quickly turned her back however, considering it all a dream; a painful one at that.

_Ana, I know ye don' believe 'm here, but I jus' wanna tell ye somethin', so listen._ Silence filled the room as he awaited some show of acknowledgement from the female pirate. Finally, she turned to face him and bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying all-out. She didn't want her final memory of Jack to be seen through tear-hazed eyes.

_Keep a green tree in yer heart and perhaps a singing bird will come._ He winked once before she could question and his body dissolved into the rays of sunlight pouring through the window.

She rose, allowing the tears to fall and even a few sobs to escape her lips. Ana stood before the window overlooking the bay, staring at the distant horizon and the waves playing across the ocean's surface. The waning sunlight struck each tear on her face, making it look as though crystals fell from her eyes.

Jack had always dreamed of absolute freedom. Of chasing that horizon infinitely.

And now, he could without a hindrance of any kind.


End file.
